Letters Across the Sea Read online

  Every July 12, the Glorious Twelfth it was called, the Orange Order held a parade downtown, and my dad and the others always marched in it. I’d grown up loving the pomp and circumstance—who didn’t love a parade?—but these days, it seemed a little ridiculous. Not much more than a showy demonstration that the Orangemen were still in power. But I knew better than to mention that to my father.

  “The parade always gives people something to look forward to,” Mum said, smiling.

  Beside me, Jimmy took his last bite. “Is there any more?”

  My father narrowed his eyes at Jimmy, looking like an orange cat ready to pounce. “You’re lucky to be getting anything at all. I work all day to put food in your mouth, and your mother slaves over the stove. You’ll eat what you’re given and be thankful for it, or you’ll have nothing.”

  “Sorry I asked,” Jimmy said, a familiar note of defiance in his voice.

  Jimmy had always been the kid with a cheeky remark, and he was a scrapper. In school, he’d challenged teachers whenever he could, which landed him in trouble, but he was smart, so he still managed to get good grades. Richie, on the other hand, took after our father, a strong, athletic leader who wasn’t afraid to get into a fight for a good cause. Dad didn’t mind the fighting, but he hated rebellion. He said that as a policeman he dealt with rebels all day long, and he didn’t want to come home and have to deal with another one.

  The only person in the world who had ever dared speak back to my father was my seanmháthair, my grandmother. “Garret, tóg go réidh é.” Be calm, she would say in Gaelic. It used to soothe him, and me as well. She’d died a year ago, but I still felt an ache in my chest, thinking of her.

  “Jimmy’s playing ball tonight,” I said, trying to ease the mood. “We should all go, like we used to. He’s really fast these days. Centre field.”

  Jimmy flashed me a grateful smile. “Thanks, Molly.”

  Dad pushed corned beef onto his fork. “People getting fired, losing their livelihoods, us with barely enough to eat, and you want to go to a ball game. When are you kids gonna grow up?”

  Jimmy stood, his chair scraping noisily along the floor. “Well, I’m not growing up today. I’m off to play ball. Can’t let the team down.”

  The rest of us braced for Dad’s wrath, but it never came. He just sighed and slouched a little lower over his dinner, clearly worn. Jimmy brought his dishes to the counter then slipped out the door.

  I glared at my plate, wishing I could have gone with him. I missed the days when we’d all go together, sitting with Hannah’s family, having a picnic while we cheered the teams on. Dad had been the most enthusiastic fan of all—especially when his boys were playing—and Mum would laugh at how he whooped and hollered. These days, he didn’t laugh as much, and his temper could be quick. But he was a good father. I knew he meant well for us all. It was this Depression. It was hard on everyone.

  At last, we finished our meals, and I rose to collect the dishes.

  “I can’t help you tonight, Molly,” Mum said. “I’ve mending to do before the morning. You’ll have to do the washing up on your own.”

  My heart sank. “Can’t one of the boys help? I’m supposed to be meeting Hannah at the game.”

  “You still friends with Hannah Dreyfus, are you?” Dad asked, his tone shifting from my father to Sergeant Ryan. I recognized the sound of an interrogation. He dabbed his lip with his napkin. “You know, people say it’s her kind that are responsible for all this poverty.”

  I paused, unsure. “Her kind? Are you talking about Jewish people?”

  “Them and their communist ideals are causing all these strikes and demonstrations. Now, I have nothing against the Dreyfuses, but times are changing. More folks are blaming Jews these days, and when tempers flare, fights break out. People are getting hurt.”

  I couldn’t bite my tongue this time. “It takes two to fight.”

  “Not necessarily, in my experience.”

  “If it’s so dangerous, who’s going to protect Hannah and her family?” I pressed.

  “You let the police worry about that. I just want you to be safe.”

  I was a little surprised Richie hadn’t said anything, but he just grabbed the newspaper and left the table. He and Hannah’s brother, Max, used to be as close as Hannah and I were. They’d stuck together like brothers until Max left the city for university.

  “Listen to your father,” Mum was saying. “Make friends with some of the girls at church. It’s safer. Who knows? You might meet a nice boy. You’re eighteen, after all.” Her lips tightened slightly. “Though you’ll never meet anyone with your head always in a book.”

  My cheeks warmed. The fact that I spent most of my free time reading was somewhat of a sore spot between my mother and me. But books weren’t the reason I hardly dated. I just wasn’t interested in anyone. Plus, I was needed at home. I didn’t have endless time.

  I carried the dishes to the sink then rolled up my sleeves. I worked quickly, but I was frustratingly aware that it probably took a whole inning. The second the last plate was back in the cupboard, I tore off my apron and ran for the door, letting it slam behind me. I sprinted past the Dreyfuses’ house, knowing Hannah would already be at the game, and jogged along Dundas West, past Mr. Connor’s bike shop, the Polish bakery, and the Italian butcher. It was about ten blocks from my home in Kensington to Trinity Bellwoods Park, and my lungs burned the closer I got, but when I heard shouts and cheers coming from the game, happy sounds that filled my heart, I picked up my speed.

  I could see the teams now, their ball caps and short pants bright in the last hours of daylight, and I spotted Hannah about halfway up the hill, waving both arms to catch my attention. She was wearing the brown sweater I’d told her was my favourite, with a matching bow tied around her long black hair, and she had a big grin on her face.

  Heaving for breath, I dropped beside her and scanned the orange caps of the Native Sons team along the bench, looking for my brother. “How’s the game? Has Jimmy been up?”

  “Twice. He walked the first time, hit a double last inning. Where have you been?”

  “Doing dishes. Don’t ask. I’m here now.”

  She wiggled her eyebrows. “I know something that’ll cheer you up.”

  “Oh?”

  She pointed down at the Harbord Playground’s second baseman and my breath caught. I would have known that tall, dark figure any-where.

  “Max is back already?” I asked. “When?”

  “This morning,” she said. “He surprised my mother. I don’t think she’s fully recovered yet.”

  A roar rose from the crowd as the batter cracked a line drive, but Max shot out his hand and trapped the ball.

  “Three out!” Hannah cried.

  I jumped to my feet with her, excited for Max even though I was supposed to be cheering for Jimmy’s team.

  “Go, Max!” I shouted.

  He looked up, and at the sight of his wide smile, I felt a sudden swoop in my chest. How I’d missed him! He’d left for university just before the stock market crashed and everything had changed. Seeing him now, it was like I’d gone back in time to when there were no protests, unemployment lines, or wilted vegetables, to a world that had seemed full of possibilities. I hugged Hannah to me as we cheered, buoyed by the impossible, magical idea that all our lives would turn around for the better, now that he was home. Maybe Max was our lucky charm.

  two MAX

  It took a second before Max realized he was staring. Was that really Molly? She sure had grown up over the past four years. If not for the strawberry blond ponytail flapping cheerfully as she waved, and her smile, bright as the sun, he might not have recognized her. He forced his eyes away and took his spot on the bench, finding it a little harder now to concentrate on the game.

  After being away for so long, it felt a bit strange to be in Toronto. Like squeezing back into a favourite pair of shoes and discovering they were a little tight, but knowing they’d soon feel like slippers a
gain. Playing baseball at Trinity Bellwoods Park and seeing Hannah and Molly in the crowd made things feel more normal. The only thing that could have made it better was if Richie was there.

  Jimmy was, though. He’d come up to Max before the game.

  “It’s been a while,” he’d said.

  “It’s good to be back,” Max replied. “You’re with the Native Sons this summer?”

  Jimmy nodded and flicked the blue brim of Max’s cap. “Not surprised you’re with Harbord Playground again.”

  “Well, they are the only mostly Jewish team around.”

  “And they have the best players. Tell me, are you out of shape from being stuck in a classroom for so long? Maybe the Sons’ll get lucky tonight after all.”

  Max laughed. Jimmy was a great kid, with more chutzpah than anyone he had ever met. On the ballfield, he was always the one to steal a base and get away with it.

  “Don’t count on it,” he said. “Hey, where’s Richie?”

  Jimmy’s grin faded. “He ain’t coming. You probably won’t see him around much. He’s hanging out with a different bunch of guys these days.”

  Hearing that, Max had felt a little off-balance. He peered over the field, not wanting Jimmy to see how disappointed he was. “That’s too bad.”

  “Yeah.” Jimmy slapped Max’s arm, then jabbed a thumb toward his team’s bench. “I gotta go, but it’s good to see you.”

  For as long as Max could remember, he and Richie had been a team unto themselves, backing each other up on the field. In school, all the kids had wanted to hit like Max and throw like Richie, and the littlest boys had looked up to them as if they were heroes. Even when they were playing on opposite teams, Max and Richie teased each other about having a weak arm or a bum leg to spur the other on. They’d always played their hearts out and walked off the field together like brothers.

  Now, in the eighth inning, Max couldn’t resist scanning the crowd again, but there was no sign of his friend. There were a lot of other faces he recognized, though. The trampled grass overflowed with people, from the oldest bubbe to the tiniest child, all of them talking and laughing, Yiddish, Italian, Ukrainian, and English weaving together like a song from his childhood. He spotted the Beisers in the crowd and remembered his mother’s earlier words.

  “Mrs. Beiser will be there with her two beautiful daughters,” she’d said. “You remember Eva and Frieda? They’re always asking about you. Their family is a good one.”

  “Thanks, Mama,” he’d replied dutifully.

  The Beiser girls were nice enough, but he wasn’t attracted to either, and though he’d never tell his mother, he doubted he could ever marry a woman who couldn’t hold up her end of a conversation. For his mother’s sake, he smiled at the girls, who were watching him, just as he’d been warned.

  As he scanned the faces around him, he felt a ripple of unease in his chest. The various skin tones in the crowd had become more obvious to him lately. Hannah and his mother had tried to keep their letters to him upbeat, but his father had been blunt about the swelling animosity against Jews in the city. Max hadn’t been all that surprised by the news. He’d witnessed the growing divide for himself while at university in Hamilton.

  “Dreyfus!” the coach called, breaking through his thoughts. “You’re up!”

  He grabbed a bat and headed toward the plate, a new kind of apprehension buzzing through him. How many of those spectators, how many of his old, goy friends still regarded him as their chum? How many now saw him as something… less? He screwed his ball cap on more firmly and set his jaw. Time to remind them that he was something more.

  It was two out, bottom of the eighth, with no one on base. The Sons were ahead 5–4. Let’s tie this thing up, he told himself.

  Standing with his feet apart and knees bent, Max held the bat high and let his body sway slightly, matching the pitcher’s rhythm while he waited for the throw. When the pitch came, his focus instantly sharpened, and the ball slammed into the sweet spot, just off the centre point of his bat. The Sons’ fielders took off running while the crowd roared, and Max sprinted to first base. He was kicking past second when he spotted Jimmy grabbing the ball and winding up. Just like his older brother, Jimmy had a great arm, so Max settled in at third. Hopefully the next batter would get him to home.

  Jimmy pointed at him. “Almost got you!” And Max laughed out loud.

  But it didn’t matter, because their next batter struck out and the inning ended. Max grabbed his glove and headed back onto the field.

  At the top of the ninth, the Native Sons’ first hitter made it to second. After him, Jimmy stepped up to bat. Jimmy wasn’t as good at bat as he was in the field, so Max moved in a little.

  “Come on, Jimmy!” he heard Molly yell.

  A swing and a miss. Jimmy backed up a step and kicked the dirt. He was the only one of the Ryans who didn’t have a fiery head of orange hair, but his temper was just as sharp as theirs, especially when it was directed at himself.

  “Get in there, Jimmy!” Molly shouted again. “He’s got nothing! Eye on the ball!”

  A slight, almost imperceptible nod, then Jimmy was back at the plate, setting up his stance. He angled his body toward the pitcher, then crack! The ball shot off his bat, and he ran toward first base as it headed up, up, up. It was a good hit, and too far for Max. He held his breath as it descended, watching his teammate, Pavlo Oliynyk, labour across the field with his glove held out.

  “Get under it, Pav!” Max shouted.

  It should have been an easy catch. From across the field, Max could practically feel the thud of the ball landing in his own glove. If it had been Richie instead of Pavlo, he would’ve snatched it out of midair and shot it home. But Pavlo was a foot shorter, and so was his reach. The ball plopped down just off his glove, and by the time he picked it up and lobbed it to the infield, Jimmy had run home, and so had the fellow ahead of him. It was now 7–4 for the Native Sons.

  Max bit down on his disappointment and acknowledged Jimmy’s hit with a nod. It wasn’t like they’d lost the entire game. They still had a chance, albeit a slim one.

  When it was time for Harbord Playground to hit again, Matteo Rossi was first up. He swung, and the ball plowed through the infield, bouncing between legs and around players. It was a beautifully messy grounder, and it got Rossi to first. Snooky Rubenstein, their shortstop, was up next. He made it to first base, and Rossi moved to second. One batter later, all the bases were loaded, and it was up to Max to bring Harbord to victory.

  Adrenaline coursed through him as he strode toward the plate, blocking out the cheers and jeers of the crowd. He settled into his stance, raised the bat, and stared down the pitcher. In his mind, there was only one way this was going to go.

  Max belted the first pitch, sending it chest height into left field, slicing through the fielders. He took off, putting everything he had into his legs, relishing the crunch of gravel under his shoes as he sprinted past the bases. Flying toward home, he nearly collided with the three runners in front of him, but they all turned, leaping onto each other in celebration while the rest of their teammates rushed from the bench. The crowds on the sidelines went crazy.

  They’d done it. Harbord Playground, 8. Native Sons, 7. It was the best feeling in the world.

  Pulling out of the team’s embrace, Max spotted Hannah and Molly squeezing between people, on their way to him.

  Hannah hugged him tight. “What a game. You were terrific!” she yelled over the noise.

  “That was a fantastic hit!” Molly said from behind her.

  She was even prettier up close, her green eyes set off by the pale blue of her dress, which he recognized as one of Hannah’s hand-me-downs.

  “Thanks, Molly. It’s good to see you.”

  “I’m so glad you’re back!” she said, reaching for a hug.

  He breathed in the fragrant warmth of her hair as she squeezed him. “Me too.”

  “Okay, okay,” Jimmy said, wandering over. “I’ll admit that was a
good hit.”

  “Ha! High praise coming from you,” Max said. “You weren’t so bad yourself.”

  “I almost had you there.”

  “Almost,” Max teased.

  The whole walk home Max felt like he was on top of the world. He loved his studies and had finished at the top of his class, but he’d been so busy he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed being home with his friends. He snuck another peek at Molly, walking on Hannah’s other side. It didn’t seem like that long ago they’d been kids, throwing the baseball around, and she’d been giving him grief for trying to coach her while she was up to bat. Now she was a beautiful young woman. So was Hannah, he realized, looking at his sister with fresh eyes.

  Day had given way to dusk, and the lights in the various store windows had been turned off for the night, but some things were still easy to see. When they passed a pawn shop with a big white sign in the window, Max’s smile faded, and he stopped walking.

  HELP WANTED. NO JEWS.

  He’d seen signs like this before. He’d felt outraged whenever he passed them near the university, but seeing them in his own neighbourhood felt like a punch to the chest.

  Molly paused beside him. “They’re everywhere now. Stores, restaurants, parks, even the beach.” She wrinkled her nose. “Oh, and we also have ‘Swastika Clubs.’ ”

  Unease spread over him like a cloak. “Swastika Clubs?”

  “They claim their only intent is keeping the boardwalk clean of litter,” Molly told him as they started walking again. “But they’re not talking about picking up trash.”

  “Yeah, I get it.”

  “I’m sorry. The signs bother me, and I’m not even…”

  “Jewish? You can say the word.” His response came out harsher than he intended, and she looked straight ahead.

  “Of course.”

  “Sorry, Moll. I shouldn’t take it out on you. It just gets tiring, seeing this kind of stuff. It’s not as if we did anything to deserve it.”